When Boredom Attacks  The Lightning Thief
by CoffeeFiend321
Summary: OFC's, Mary-Sue deaths and one poor Athena kid. Welcome to the Circle of Insanity. When three  new  campers get intangled in the adventures of Percy Jackson, craziness insues. Read at your own risk  and sanity .
1. We Follow the Crazy Brick Road

**THIS STORY IS NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I GET BORED. MY FRIENDS MADE ME POST THIS. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS FANFICTION. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

**I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE OC'S.**

When Boredom Attacks

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter One;

We Follow the Crazy Brick Road

An abandoned pair of blue, worn Converse, alongside a bottle of sunscreen, lay in the grass in the boundaries of camp. A few feet away was Miranda, lying on her back with her eyes closed. Her hair was fanned out behind her, blonde streaks evident in the summer sun. She appeared to be asleep, but Andrea knew better.

"Heeeeeey." She said, nudging a purple Converse clad foot against Miranda's leg. Sitting up and straightening her orange camp shirt, Miranda gave Andrea a questioning gaze.

"What?

"Breakfast." Andrea replied simply, gesturing towards the dining area, before skipping off. Miranda rolled her eyes, wondering how on Earth somebody could have that much energy in the morning, before getting up, brushing any dirt off her shorts, and followed Andrea. Along the way, she spotted Nic, along with the rest of her appointed Cabin, also on their way to the pavilion.

Miranda found it hard to believe it was almost four years to date since the three of them had come to Camp Half-Blood. They'd all left home at the age of twelve, and all for the same reason.

They were demi-gods.

_Four years earlier_

_The city of Chicago was brightly lit all through the night, with clubs, bars and restaurants open until dawn. People took advantage of the light, going for a late jog, walking home from bars, or taking a romantic walk with a date._

_Andrea, Nic and Miranda, on the other hand, took advantage of the dark. In a small, hidden alleyway, between Reaming Road and Fifth Street, the three pre-teens camped. Nic was on watch, an over-sized bomber jacket serving as a shield against the quickly-approaching winter cold, and a hammer to use as a weapon against any monsters that happened upon them. _

_A small, digital watch gave five, high-pitched beeps. Two thirty, and Nic's watch was over. Reaching over, Nic gave Miranda a good shake, rousing the twelve year old girl._

"_Whaddist?" she mumbled, before opening her eyes._

"_It's your watch." Nic said before climbing into an empty sleeping bag and falling asleep almost immediately. Miranda gave a quiet sigh, grabbed her boots and a penlight and, careful not to trip on Andrea's sleeping form, made her way to the Watch Post, which was really just a pile of crates against the wall. Beside them was a pile of what seemed to be junk, but was really an arsenal. A hammer belonging to Nic lay beside a can of hairspray, Andrea's weapon of choice when paired with a small Zippo lighter she carried in her pocket. Then there was a small bow, made with fishing line and a tree branch, along with several other branches that served as arrows. Nic had made it, and though it seemed destined for failure, it had served Miranda rather well as a weapon. _

_Clicking on the penlight, Miranda searched the alleyway for the red and black foot bag. After finding it, and only four energy bars left in it, she reminded herself to 'stock up' on more. _

_Then she heard the footsteps. Quiet at first, barely noticeable, but then louder and moving closer. _

_Fast._

_Instinct worked its magic, and in a few seconds, Miranda had switched off the penlight, crouched behind the crates, and had her bow and arrow, along with a trash can lid she grabbed impulsively, figuring would work as an effective shield._

_As the footsteps drew closer, Miranda held her breath, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst._

_They'd received the message only five months after arriving at camp. Grover had been sent to collect a half-blood living in the city – a pretty powerful one at that, and bring them to camp. In the vast, crowded city, however, and with no recent public records of the demi-god, he was forced to call for reinforcements. Help came in the form of fourteen year old Bridget, daughter of Aphrodite, sixteen year old Adam, son of Athena, and fourteen year old Luke, son of Hermes. So for, the four of them hadn't encountered anything, not even monsters._

_It was Bridget who suggested they split up, but it was Luke who went alone. It made sense, seeing as he was the best fighter out of the four of them, but still the uneasy quiet of Fifth Street unnerved him. Keeping his celestial bronze sword close and eyes open, he took a moment to actually appreciate being in the real world again. At least, he could appreciate it when he wasn't being hunted down by monsters at every turn._

_A low shuffling in a small, narrow alleyway stopped Luke in his tracks. Then a click and a dim light appeared. A figure was crouched down, rummaging through a bag. _

_With a bow slung over their shoulder._

_Luke began moving towards the figure, but before he'd taken three steps, the light switched off. There was a muffled thud, than silence._

"_Hello?" he called out, hoping to sound friendly as he continued to move into the alleyway. When nobody replied, he tried again._

"_It's okay, I'm not going to hu-"_

_**SMACK.**_

_The world went white, than completely black._

_She couldn't really say she felt _that _bad, but Miranda did feel a slight twinge of guilt as she stared at the unconscious form of a teenage boy. The clang of the trashcan lid colliding with his skull had woken Nic and Andrea, both immediately grabbing weapons._

"_It's okay…I think." Miranda said, nudging the boy's foot with her own._

_Nothing._

"_He doesn't _look _evil." Andrea said as she peered over Miranda's shoulder, a can of hairspray and Zippo held aloft._

"_They never do, Andie." Miranda replied._

"_He went down pretty fast though," Nic said. "Usually you hit monsters once, they just get angry."_

"_Well, he could be faking it."Miranda retorted._

"_Why?" Andrea asked. Miranda thought for a moment, but coming up with no good answer._

"_Good point." She replied weakly, realizing her mistake._

_At this point, Luke was regaining consciousness, and heard enough of the conversation to confirm that there wasn't just one demi-god in this city. There were three. __Three._

_Cautiously opening his eyes, Luke found three pairs of shoes in front of him – tough-looking, buckled combat boots, beat-up purple Converse, and black, leather motorcycle boots. The combat boots were joined by a pair of baggy, dark green pants, a white shirt under a bomber jacket, and what appeared to be either a feminine boy or masculine girl, wearing an aviator cap over short, blonde hair and goggles over sky blue eyes, holding in her/his hands, a hammer. A really big, heavy looking hammer._

_The Converse, however, were owned by a much smaller, but just as menacing looking girl, with short black hair and wide grey eyes framed by glasses. Black jeans decorated with chains and various pockets and a grey tank top under a Pokémon T-shirt finished the ensemble._

_The Motorcycle boots stood closest to him, accompanied by a pair of simple jeans, black, fitted T-shirt and a cropped denim jacket, all worn by a girl with tawny colored hair, pulled back in a ponytail, and dark, hazel green eyes glaring down at him._

_She also happened to be holding a bow and arrow right in his face._

"_Hey, whoawhoawhoa." Luke protested, attempting to sit up without having an eye gouged out by a pointy stick._

"_Who are you?" demanded the Archer Girl._

"_My name's Luke." he offered before gaining enough balance to stand up. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as all three preteens kept their weapons honed in on him._

"_You can relax." he said, dusting off his jeans, surprised to find he still had his sword. "I'm like you guys."_

"_What do you mean?" Hammer Happy asked suspiciously._

"_A demi-god."_

_All three stood there, blinking, until Pyro Chick spoke up._

"_What do you mean 'god'?"_

_Luke sighed. It was pretty evident they weren't going anywhere without some information._

"_You're children of the Greek Gods. Half human, half god – and one of you is pretty powerful, hence all the monsters you guys are probably running from." The trio remained silent, obviously stunned, so Luke continued._

"_Let me guess, you all had dyslexia? ADHD? Strange occurrences and habits that just can't be explained? Feel like one of your parents isn't your parent? Any of this ringing a bell?"_

_Finally, after several glances at each other, the three lowered their weapons._

"_What are your names?" Luke asked abruptly._

"_I'm Andrea." the girl with the black hair and Zippo lighter said._

"_Nic.", said the apparent boy with aviator goggles and a hammer._

"_And I'm Miranda.", the brunette archer finally offered. For the first time since knocking him out, she actually surveyed the teenager. He was defiantly cute, around fourteen or fifteen, with tousled, sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. If she'd been a normal girl and not fearing for her life, she'd probably being twirling her hair like crazy._

_The circumstances, however, were against her, as was her nature. She didn't normally go for boys who snuck around in the middle of the night; try to ambush her, than convince her she was some sort of God-spawn._

"_So, if you're like us, children of the Gods and such, whose kid are you?" Nic asked. It seemed to be the wrong thing to ask. Luke's eyes turned dark with bitter resentment and a muscle twitched in his jaw. Before he could answer, there was a crash, than a loud braying sound._

"_Is that a goat?" Andrea asked, puzzled. Luke sighed in relief at the distraction._

"_Grover's here."_

"_You have a goat named Grover?" Nic asked._

_Before Luke could correct her in the fact that Grover was in fact, a satyr, he and two other demi-gods rounded the corner into the alleyway._

_Nic immediately surveyed each new arrival. Two boys, one girl, one boy having a wiry build, curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a strange walk, almost a limp. The second boy had dark blonde hair, stormy grey eyes, and a bright orange shirt that read 'Camp Half-Blood.'_

_The girl had a thin, lithe figure, with dark red hair cut short, and bright green eyes. She had glasses like Andrea, and was also, Nic noted personally, very very pretty. _

"_Di Immortales." the funny walking one said, his eyes widening. "Three…no wonder…scent was so strong…do they even _know_?" he asked, looking up at a Luke._

"_They do now." he answered, before continuing. "This is Grover", at his name, the scrawny, brunette teen gave a friendly wave. _

"_And that's Adam and Bridget." Adam gave a simple nod and Bridget gave a shy smile and wave. _

"_Listen, introductions and questions aside, we need to get these three to camp, and fast. Considering how many of us there are now, we can't linger here for more than ten minutes." Adam said his words clipped and serious. _

"_Camp?" Andrea asked._

"_Camp Half-Blood." Bridget answered. "It's where demi-gods go to learn. Sword fighting, archery, survival skills, and you can stay for the summer, or year-round." _

_The three girls looked at each other, a seemingly telepathic bond passing between them. _

"_All right," Miranda finally answered. "We'll go with you."_

**AGAIN, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. IF YOU ENJOYED IT, REVIEW. IF NOT, GO AWAY.**


	2. Road Trips Turn Evil

When Boredom Attacks

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter Two;

Road Trips Turn Evil

Miranda and Andrea were some of the last campers to make it to the dining pavilion in time. Some campers were already making their offers to the Gods. Miranda took her place at her table, and made her offering upon ordering whole-wheat toast with peanut butter before returning to her table.

Andrea, after throwing one of her Pop-Tarts into the fire, returned to her lone table, observing her surroundings. Nic and Bridget were making secret lover eyes at each other, while Miranda and Luke continuously shot each other crooked smiles.

The four of them had romance written on them since the day they met, four years ago, back in Chicago…

_The bus ride out of Chicago and into Indiana remained uneventful, thankfully. But tensions were still high, seeing as six half-bloods and a satyr were practically a neon-lit buffet for any monster within a hundred-mile radius. The real problem began, however, when the six half-bloods and satyr got off the bus, only to find out that the next one to Ohio wouldn't arrive until the next morning. _

_Fortunately, Adam had brought just enough money for them to bunk in a small motel room for the while. One king sized bed, a rickety table, old television and kitchenette would last them. _

_The while Luke, Adam and Grover carried what little luggage they had, the others went ahead into the room. After calming Andrea and Miranda down enough that they refrained from screaming and jumping up and down on the bed in delight of having something comfortable to sleep on again, they voted on who would actually get the bed._

"_Well…Nic, Andrea and Miranda have been living on the street for a while." Bridget said. "So I guess it's only fair that they get the bed."_

_For that, the trio was thankful. How they managed to fit all on one bed, Luke, Bridget, Adam and Grover never knew. After unrolling sleeping bags and such, all of them were asleep within minutes._

_Well, almost._

_Andrea always had nocturnal tendencies. Usually, they resulted in boredom gone wrong, and something going up in smoke (literally)._

_This time, however, she was determined not to burn anything to the ground. Sneaking past her comrades, she slipped out the door, and went in search of something to eat. _

_After ten minutes and a dented food vending machine, Andrea headed victoriously towards another vending machine, this one with drinks, and a bag of Bugles in her hand._

_Coke, she decided, sounded like a good option. Pulling a dollar from her coat pocket, sliding it in and pushing the button, she waited for her drink to be dispensed._

_Nothing._

_Another push. Still nothing. Finally, Andrea gave the machine a good solid kick. Finally, a battered, old fashion can rolled out. Andrea plucked it up, opened it, and took a long, triumphant sip._

"_You have your father's patience I see."_

_Andrea nearly spit her drink out. Wheeling around, Andrea found herself face-to-face with a woman, her young, slender form was dressed in a long white dress that nearly matched her skin, and long, black hair in curls. She had a small, almost sad smile on her face, and, now that Andrea had recovered from her shock, her eyes seemed to change color every few seconds._

_A sudden memory, blurred like a scene through frosted glass, flashed through Andrea's mind. An enormous room, everything decorated black and bronze, with every toy Andrea could imagine for a toddler, and this woman, cooing and coddling her as if she were her own. Then, the scene changed. There was a man, strikingly pale, with jet black hair to his shoulders. He had black eyes, deadly and cold, but they seemed to soften slightly as he looked at her. He gave a smile, sad and bitter._

"_Can't hide her…must leave now…" _

_Then, as quickly as it happened, the flashback ended, and Andrea's brain snapped back to the present. _

"_Who are you?" Andrea asked, deeply regretting leaving her lighter in the motel room._

"_Don't be afraid Andrea. My name is Persephone."_

_Andrea's eyebrow wrinkled. "Wait – isn't that Hades wife?"_

_Persephone nodded, than gave a small, sad smile again. _

"_You look like your mother," she said, before observing Andrea's short, black hair, her natural blonde roots starting to peek through. "But you have your father's mindset." _

"_My father?" Andrea asked, her brain connecting the dots at a million miles an hour._

"_He wants to send you a message. He says that you need to get the camp as soon as possible. Don't stop, don't swim, and don't fly." _

Don't swim? _Andrea, though thoroughly confused by this warning, still had a hundred questions._

"_Wait, my father, is he Had-."_

"_That," Persephone interrupted, "Is not for me to answer." Then, she glanced at a surprisingly modern watch on her wrist._

"_My time's almost up. I must leave you now, but remember, no matter what you face on this journey, you need not be afraid of them." _

_With another sad smile, Persephone stepped forwards and embraced Andrea in a warm, motherly hug. Andrea's sense-memory went off again as she inhaled, breathing in the scent of sweet flowers, soil, and something else that reminded her of being underground. She felt Persephone slip something small and square into her pocket before backing away._

"_It's a miracle really. Your father never thought he could hide you for that long. But you're alive, and that's all that matters."_

_Then, in a small whirlwind of flowers, Persephone disappeared. Reaching into her pocket, Andrea found a small, silver Zippo lighter, with the letter __**A**__engraved on the front. _

_She flipped it open, and a small, pure black flame ignited. _

_Another flashback struck her, this one clearer than the last_

"_Do __not__ let Andrea near the Hell Fire lighters!" The dark haired man was yelling, holding a very young Andrea away from a small basket of mundane looking Zippos._

"_My father's __Hades?__" Andrea asked to herself quickly._

_Her only reply, however, was the sound of breaking glass, and a shrill scream._

_The Furies usually didn't attack at random. In normal circumstances, they took human form, spying on half-bloods in schools as teachers or other employees. _

_Luke had never seen all three Kindly Ones attack a small group before. At least, not before that night. He'd woken up to the sound of shattering glass thinking someone had broken something. Than Bridget let out a scream, and battle instincts took over. _

_Three Kindly Ones were flying about the room, hissing and snarling. Nic had heard the window smash open, and rolled off the bed onto the floor, taking an extremely startled Miranda with her._

_Both Luke and Adam had weapons in hand, trying to find a good hit in such closed quarters._

_One Fury got cocky, and swooped down to taunt them. Adam swung a bronze sword, hitting the Fury just below the shoulder. It gave a scream before disintegrating into dust. One down, two more to go._

_Luke gave a quick glance away from the two remaining Kindly Ones to see Nic and Miranda huddled under one bed, with Grover and Bridget hiding under the blankets. There was no sign of Andrea, meaning she was already taken, or she'd just hidden better than they had. _

_Sensing his distraction, the second Fury lunged, quick as lightning. As the last second, Luke attempted to stab it, but the Fury was one step ahead. Easily blocking the sword, her talons dug deep into his hand._

_Yelling in pain, Luke dropped the sword. Looking up, he saw Adam was in a battle with the third Fury. He was on his own._

_Making a dive for the sword, Luke felt the Fury's talons dig into his shoulder before flinging his across the room into the television. _

_The Kindly One gave an evil, fanged smile. _

_Than exploded into dust as an arrow flew through her._

_At first, Luke thought Adam had killed her, but he was still locked in combat with the third Fury._

_Instead, Miranda was there, holding an empty bow and looking terrified. The third Fury, after flinging Adam aside like a rag doll, then aimed for a new target – Miranda._

_Nic, however, intervened._

_With a dull crack, Nic's hammer collided with the Fury's head. It went spinning off, dazed, before letting out a snarl. Miranda had dashed across to room to try and help Luke up, while Nic kept her hammer ready. The Fury let out a cold laugh._

"_You really think that can stop me?" she asked, referring to the hammer._

"_No," came Andrea's voice from the doorway. She'd just appeared, holding her lighter. "But this might."_

_She flicked the lighter open, and touched the dark flame with her hand. But instead of being burned, the flame coiled around her hand, until a ball of black fire, the size of a bowling ball, sat in her hand._

_The Fury's eyes widened as she realized what it was. She opened her mouth to let out a warning scream, when Andrea flung the fireball at her. The Kindly One flew backwards, through the door into the bathroom, and disappeared, along with the fireball._

_The entire fight had lasted all but eight minutes._

_Andrea stood, proudly inspecting the Zippo lighter, while Nic, Miranda, Luke, Adam and Bridget all stared in shock._

"_What the Hades was that?" Luke asked._

_Andrea looked up, and gave an only-slightly-psychotic grin._

"_Exactly." she said._


	3. Kleptomaniacs Come in Handy

When Boredom Attacks

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter Three;

Kleptomaniacs Come In Handy

_Still in flashback mode;_

_Needless to say, the seven of them decided not to wait for the bus. Instead, Andrea, Grover, Bridget and Nic were sent to raid the vending machines while Miranda patched Luke up and Adam cleaned up some of the mess._

"_It's not the best," said Miranda, inspecting her work. "But it'll do for now." _

_Luke himself was now inspecting the bandaged wound, wondering what 'the best' was in her standards, because what she did now looked like she had been living in a medical school for the past four months. _

_That, combined with her skills with archery, Luke had a pretty good idea as to who her parent was._

"_Thanks." He said, before continuing. "For both the medical attention and actually saving my life."_

_She looked up from the supplies she was packing, and if Luke didn't know any better he could have sworn she was blushing._

"_You're welcome." She said, before muttering something about checking on Andrea and hurrying out the door._

_Luke stared after her for a moment, blinking, before shaking his head. Adam walked in from the bathroom and grabbed the bag Miranda had been packing._

"_Ready to go?" he asked._

"_Yeah. Be right out."_

"_So what's this camp actually like?" Andrea asked, her arms full of potato chips, energy bars and (at her demand) Bugles._

_Grover nearly jumped a foot in the air. He'd been extra twitchy ever since the Fury attack. Andrea had the feeling it had to do with her bad-ass fire skills as much as the actual attack._

"_Well…ummm…there's a lake…and woods…and Capture the Flag every Friday-."_

"_Grover? Let's get something straight. I'm not going to incinerate you or anyone else on this trip, except maybe the bad guys."_

_Grover looked at her in surprise. "Oh, no. I-I…I'm not scared of __you.__" he said, nearly uttering 'much' at the end. "It's just…with you being a daughter of…Hades, it….complicates things."_

"_Complicates?" Andrea asked, now knowing indefinitely that Grover was simply sugar coating things so much she felt herself getting cavities. _

"_Yeah…Zeus and others might not be too…happy."_

_As if to agree, a loud rumble of thunder rolled through the night sky, even though there wasn't a cloud to be seen. Grover looked around cautiously. _

"_We need to leave. It's bad enough that monsters are attacking, but we really don't want to deal with the police."_

_As if on cue, Miranda appeared from the motel room. "Are you two done yet?"_

_Andrea nodded. "Where'd the other three go?"_

"_Bridget and Nic went to get water and Adam's cleaning up the motel room a bit."_

"_So whose child are you?" Nic asked, as Bridget collected water bottles from the recently-pried-open vending machine._

"_Aphrodite.", she replied, and Nic was surprised to hear a hint of bitterness in her voice._

"_You're not happy with that?"_

"_Pff, no. All my siblings seem to care about is hair, makeup and clothes. Besides, do I __look__ like a daughter of Aphrodite?"_

_Nic studied Bridget, her short, reddish brown hair complimenting her green eyes perfectly, small, rectangle glasses perched on her nose. Her tiny figure was bundled up in various layers, despite the fact that it was nearly August._

"_Yeah, you do." Nic replied sincerely. Bridget gave a start, clearly expecting a different answer, before blushing._

"_Hey! You two!" came a yell from Miranda, who'd appeared and completely killed the mood. "We're leaving! Let's go!"_

_With an eye roll, Nic turned to Miranda._

"_You know, with all your yelling, I think I know how those things found us."_

"_Haha." Miranda replied sarcastically. _

_They all gathered in the parking lot, three small duffle bags accompanied them. Luke was holding a wire coat hanger, peering into various parked cars._

"_Oh Gods, is he doing what I think he is?" Bridget asked. _

_Adam shrugged. "He's the son of Hermes." he answered dismissively, as if this behavior was ordinary._

_Hermes, Miranda noted. God of thieves, travelers and messenger of the Gods. How she knew this, she didn't remember. She thought back to when they first met in the alley, and the way his face darkened when Nic questioned him about his parent. She was dying ask him why, but she had the feeling that now wasn't a good time._

_Finally, after selecting a silver Honda Pilot and unlocking it with the wire hanger, the tricky part came – hot wiring it. It turned out that it was tricky for all of them, save one – Nic._

"_For __God's __sake!" Nic yelled at Luke, who was crouched under the steering wheel with two wires. "I'll do it!"_

_Throwing the hood open, the rest of the gang's view was obscured as Nic rummaged around, muttering about 'incompetent men' and pulling various wires. Then, after a moment or two, the car roared to life. _

"_Right," Nic said, straightening up. "Who's driving?"_

_In the end, Adam, being the oldest, drove. Andrea yelled about battling people for shotgun, but with everyone's memory still fresh about her fire skills, they let her have it. Nic and Bridget had the passenger's seat, with Grover and Luke in the very back, Miranda seated between them._

_Almost all of them dosed off, except for Adam (duh) and Luke. It was almost sunrise, and the state of Ohio was getting closer and closer. A faint light started on the horizon. Most people referred to the sun as a star at the center of the solar system._

_Demigods knew better._

_Next to Luke, Miranda let out a small sigh, twitched, than finally opened her eyes._

"_What time is it?" she asked. Adam looked at her in the rearview mirror, than at the dashboard clock._

"_Almost six."_

"_How are we doing with-." she began, but stopped short, looked confused, than startled, than started yelling._

"_What-." Luke started, before he realized – in his sleep, one of Grover's hi-tops had come off, revealing one hoof. He also realized he'd never explained that Grover was a satyr to the trio._

_Oops._

_Miranda's yelling had seemed to set off a chain reaction. Nic woke up with a start, grabbing her hammer and almost taking out the passenger window. Bridget than roused and screamed at Nic seemingly holding a hammer over her. Andrea started and yelled something about Oreo cookies while Adam was just yelling._

_Of course, with all the chaos amid, Grover gave a startled belt, woke up, looking just extremely confused. _

"_Okay, everyone __shut up!__" Luke finally yelled. Miranda, sitting next to him and getting the full volume, winced and fell silent. The other's quickly followed suit._

"_Yes, Grover is a satyr. No, he isn't a monster. Got it?" _

_All three nodded sheepishly. Miranda gave him a sullen, sideways glare before nestling back into her seat._

_Within minutes, she was back asleep, and her head lolled onto Luke's shoulder. Luke rolled his eyes, but didn't move her. The others, however, were wide awake, and Andrea was whining about food. _

_This was going to be a long drive._

_Half-way through Ohio, they ran out of food. It was Nic's idea to just 'grab' some stuff from a small 7-11 gas store. _

_Miranda, Andrea and Luke volunteered to go in, desperate to escape the cramped confines of the Honda. In the store, while Andrea skipped off to find food, Miranda was studying drinks, while Luke was studying her._

"_So, how'd you end up with those two?" He asked, referring to Nic and Andrea._

"_None of your business." She answered immediately. Luke raised his eyebrows at her sharp tone._

"_Come on, you can tell me."_

_She looked over at him skeptically. "Okay, you want to play psychologist? How's your dad?" she asked with a fake, sweet smile._

_Luke resisted the urge to grimace, and almost two aisles over, he swore he heard Andrea say something that sounded suspiciously like "__touché,"_

"_Okay, good point." he said, before grudgingly continuing. "My dad's Hermes, I met him once. We didn't get along. Happy?" _

_She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then gave shrug. Luke let a small, frustrated sigh before turning back to the cooler, determined to ignore her for the rest of the trip – and if he was lucky, the rest of his life._

"_My mom's name is Marlene Burke. She works at a fabric store. She got married to this guy, Stephen, when I was four. He had an older daughter. We didn't get along." _

_She stared straight ahead, hardly even blinking as she spoke. When she finished, to she turned to Luke._

"_Happy?"_

_Luke stared at her, unsure what to say. Fortunately for him, Andrea came into the aisle, her eyes traveling between them._

"_You guys ready to leave?"_

"_Yeah," Luke answered, his eyes still not leaving Miranda._

"_Okay, because we got – "Andrea stopped short, then gave a small sneeze. A small trickle of blood appeared out of her right nostril. She swore quietly, than reached for a tissue she always kept in her back pocket. Andrea was used to this occurrence, and was always prepared._

_Then there was a scream outside, and a crash. Dropping their food, Luke, Andrea and Miranda sprinted out of the store. The scene outside was chaotic. Cars were flipped over, people were screaming and fleeing. Grover, Nic and Bridget were nowhere to be seen. Adam was running towards them_

"_Get back in!" he yelled over the screaming. "Go back-." he stopped suddenly, a calm, perplexed look replacing the frantic one. A black dagger-like thorn, almost a foot long, had been impaled in his chest, quick and silent. A small trickle of blood dripped out of the side of Adam's mouth, before his eyes went cold and lifeless, and he fell._

_Behind him was a man, tall with short graying hair wearing a black military style outfit, and one brown eye and one blue eye. A cold, evil sneer was planted on his face._

"_Oh my God!" Andrea yelled, "You killed Adam!" she looked up at the man, and muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'you bastard.'_

"_And you're next." He said, in a strange French accent, before another barb came flying at them from nowhere._

"_Get back in the store!" Luke yelled, drawing his sword and dodging the barb. Neither girl complied. Instead, Andrea grabbed for her lighter, while Miranda made a run for the parking lot. Luke tried to yell after her, but was busy trying to dodge more thorns. The man began changing now, a leathery scorpion tail showing itself, his face still human, but his body that of a giant lion. _

_A manticore._

_A giant, black ball of fire went flying past Luke, and missed the manticore by a hair. It growled, obviously singed by the hellfire, and turned to the new threat – Andrea. The daughter of Hades, however, didn't look afraid. Instead, her feet were planted firmly on the concrete, another fireball forming in her hand. Her eyes had a slightly wild look to them._

_The manticore leapt, and the fireball went flying. The stinger took the worst of the flame, but the monster wasn't dead yet. Instead, it veered to the left, landing on a few feet from Andrea, and let out a roar. Andrea tried to frantically make another fireball, but the monster was already leaping towards her, jaws wide open – _

_SLAM_

_A hammer came out of nowhere, nailing the manticore in the skull. It let out a wail, dropping like a stone. Andrea fled to the store entrance, deciding to continue her attacks from a good distance. Nic stood a few feet away, hands filled with various hard wares she found in an abandoned pickup truck. The manticore shook its head, blood spraying, and growled. Nic lifted another weapon, this time a wrench, and prepared to throw again. _

_An arrow flew through the air, piercing the manticore's foot. Miranda was on top of a SUV hood, bow and arrow at the ready. The monster roared in frustration. Attacks were coming from all sides, including Luke, who'd also joined the battle. Arrows, blades, fire, various blunt objects, all flying at the manticore._

_Finally, with an angry cry, the manticore lifted a gigantic paw and swiped the closest person-Luke. _

_He went flying, through the air and into the store window. Glass went flying and Luke disappeared behind a shelf of potato chips. Miranda froze, her eyes widening in concern, but the manticore was on a rampage now, throwing cars and thorns. Nic was countering with wrenches, hammers and screwdrivers, but was running out fast. Andrea had disappeared from the doorway. Grover and Bridget were still M.I.A._

_Things were looking bad._

_Notching another arrow, Miranda took aim and fired, hoping to hit the eye, but instead hit the neck._

_A thorn came out of nowhere, slicing the side of Miranda's arm deeply. She yelled, more out of surprise than pain. Than the poison took hold, and her legs gave out from beneath her. The monster drew closer, licking its disfigured lips in anticipation of another kill._

_Luke woke up to somebody slapping him._

_The throbbing pain in his head and torso was only making it worse. He opened his eyes to see Andrea standing over him, her hand open and ready to slap again._

"_Hey, hey I'm awake." He said, before seeing the frantic fear in her eyes. Then he remembered, the manticore, Adam was dead, Grover and Bridget missing. He leapt up, grabbing his sword, and ran outside, adrenaline racing through him. Outside, Nic was frantically yelling and throwing hardware, but the manticore was still closing in on something. No, not something, someone._

_Miranda, almost unconscious, curled up in a fetal position, a bow and arrow lying abandoned beside her._

_Running at full speed, Luke swung his sword, piercing the ribs of the manticore. It wailed again, and turned a 180 to see who'd harmed him. But Luke had moved quickly out of sight, beside Miranda._

_The manticore roared again, than stopped, its head cocked in confusion, before letting out an inhuman scream. _

_Too late. The black Hummer was already on it. It jerked to a stop, and the back door swung open. Bridget was in the back, her hair a mess and glasses askew. Grover was driving, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He looked like he was about to keel over._

"_Get in!" Bridget yelled. Nobody hesitated. All four of them, with Luke carrying Miranda, got in the car and drove off at high speed._


	4. Stupidity and Furry Monsters

When Boredom Attacks

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter Four;

Sob Stories and Furry Monsters

_The car was silent except for the drone of the engine. Miranda was asleep; after Bridget bandaged her up best she could and gave her some ambrosia, Andrea was playing with her lighter, being cautious not to light anything on fire. Grover had managed to calm down enough to drive at a proper speed, while Nic just stared out the window. Finally, Luke spoke up._

"_We should stop somewhere."_

"_Are you kidding?" Bridget asked in disbelief. "We didn't __kill__ that thing! It's still out there, and-."_

"_And we're all about to pass out from exhaustion." Luke finished for her. Bridget paused, trying to think of a response, but stayed silent. It was the truth. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off, leaving them tired and wary. _

"_Grover, pull over at the next cheap looking motel." she said, and then everyone pooled together whatever money they had – enough for one small room and one night._

'_Small room' seemed to be an understatement. One double bed seemed to take up most of the room, while a couch took up more. Sleeping arrangements were made, with Andrea and Bridget on the bed, Miranda on the couch, and the rest on the floor. Everyone was asleep almost instantly. But for one person, it was completely opposite._

_The first thing Miranda realized when she woke up was how thirsty she was. The next was that she was laying on something very scratchy. Opening her eyes, Miranda found herself on a cramped, old couch, a small blanket thrown over her carelessly. A small motel room surrounding her, and the floor seemed strangely lumpy, until she realized that it was her comrades. Two more lumps occupied the bed._

Right, thirsty. Water, _she thought before sitting up, but stopped at the dull ache in her shoulder. The flood of memories came back to her. Frantically, she counted the lumps occupying the room, relieved that they were only minus one – Adam. _

_Another feeble attempt to swallow later and Miranda was on the hunt for water. She couldn't find any in the bags they had salvaged, only weapons and drachmas. But she did find a couple of dollars, and she tip-toed her way through the room, stumbling slightly on the radiator, and slipped out the door._

_A dull thud woke Luke up from a restless sleep. Reach for the first available weapon, a small bronze dagger, he cautiously looked around. The dim red light from the motel vacancy sign illuminated the room. The front door was open slightly, and the couch Miranda had occupied was now vacated._

Idiot, _Luke thought to himself before getting to his feet and stumbling out. He found Miranda standing in front of a vending machine; a blanket wrapped around her, hair tousled and limp, gulping down water from a plastic bottle. _

"_You shouldn't be out here alone." he said. Miranda nearly spewed water._

"_Could you __not__ sneak up on me?" she asked sharply. _

"_Fine." Luke answered, casually leaning against the wall beside the machine. Miranda glared at him for a second, before dropping her gaze and looking out at the parking lot. Luke waited a minute, and when it became clear that Miranda was going to take her sweet time, turned to go back inside. _

"_Thanks."_

_Luke stopped short and turned to face Miranda._

"_For what?" _

"_Saving my life." Miranda replied with a shrug. She was still looking away, but her emotions were playing out clearly on her face - fear, confusion, sadness, and strangely enough, yearning. She shivered, pulling the blanket closer to her._

"_C'mon", Luke said, cautiously placing a hand on her shoulder, afraid that she would snap suddenly. Instead, she simply glanced over before following him back in. Dawn was breaking soon and they would need to leave again soon. But for now, they could rest. Miranda was curled up on the couch, not sleeping, but instead secretly observing Luke. He would glance at her occasionally, causing her to look away quickly and blush furiously. Then, at almost nine, Andrea woke up. She sat up, stretched her arms, and with a quick jerk, cracked her neck._

_Miranda grimaced at the sound. "Do you __have__ to do that?" _

_Andrea merely shrugged, then let out a mew that sounded like "food."_

"_We're out." Luke said, strapping the bronze dagger he grabbed earlier to his wrist before pulling a jacket on, hiding the blade. "There's a convenience store a few streets over, one of those 24 hour things. I'm going now to get food and supplies." _

"_I'm coming with you." Miranda and Andrea said. Luke was too tired to argue, and knew there was no point anyway, and merely gestured to the door. _

"_Just be sure you bring a weapon."_

_The clerk at the store was young, maybe twenty-five, and completely engrossed in some sort of graphic novel, barely glancing up as the three adolescents walked in, all three of them wearing oversized jackets. Andrea grabbed a box of Pop-Tarts in plain sight, before skipping over to the shelf of Kit Kat bars. Miranda looked casually at a few drinks, before selecting a root beer drink and going to meet up with Andrea. Luke, on the other hand, was simply nicking things at every turn. _

_Eventually, they made it to the front, where Andrea and Miranda paid for the few items they had. When they got outside, Luke turned to them._

"_You know that I was getting stuff __without__ feeling the need to pay for it right?" he asked. Miranda and Andrea stared for a moment, before reaching into their pockets and pulling out energy bars, water bottles, and other various candies that they had definitely not paid for._

"_We lived on the street for four months." Andrea said plainly. "We learned a few things." She gave a small smirk, before her expression suddenly turned deadly serious. "Don't move."_

_Of course, Luke moved, spinning around to find a Hellhound the size of an SUV staring at them, growling hungrily._

_Immediately, Luke grabbed for the bronze knife, about to tell the girls to run for it, when Andrea walked by, a steely look of determination on her face. Walking right up to the Hellhound, she gave it a solid flick on the nose, before ordering "Sit!"_

_There was an intense moment when the Hellhound hesitated, but a moment later sat down obediently, if not grudgingly._

"_I suggest you run." Andie said in an almost scary-calm voice. Miranda and Luke didn't hesitate before making a run for the motel, with Andrea following behind._


	5. Welcome to Camp Freak

When Boredom Attacks

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Chapter Five;

Welcome to Camp Freak

_The three of them running full speed into the motel room caused a number of reactions. Grover let out a yelp, causing Bridget to tumble off the bed. Nic simply looked over and pointed at the food in their hands and said "Gimmie."_

"_We got to move. Now." Miranda said, grabbing supplies as Andrea threw an energy bar to Nic. _

"_And what? Leave that thing alive?" Luke asked. "Forget it. You guys go, I'm going after it." Bridget rolled her eyes, used to Luke's attitude and recklessness. Andrea and Nic looked uneasy. Grover looked happy to run. Miranda gave a high pitched shriek of "what?"_

_Luke raised his eyebrows. "We're already a target for the manticore. We can't get you three to camp unless someone holds the monsters back."_

_Miranda was staring at him with a strange expression, somewhere between crushing distress and murderous rage. She was blinking a million times a second, and her hands were rubbing at her temples, as if she had a headache. _

"_This is NOT happening." She muttered, before pointing to the door. "Just get in the car." _

"_What?__" Luke asked, obviously not very happy about being ordered around by a twelve year old. "I don't think-."_

"_JUST GET IN THE CAR!" Miranda yelled, sending an extremely alarmed Luke stumbling backwards._

"_Uh oh," Nic said, before walking over, slowly and cautiously. Placing a hand on Miranda's shoulder, Nic gave a small smile._

"_Miranda, sweetie? Maybe-."_

"_NO."_

"_Okay, just calm dow-."_

"_I AM CALM."_

"_Um, Miranda?" Bridget asked gently. "Are you…okay?" _

"_She will be." Nic replied. "I think she just needs coffee."_

"_Right! I know where we can get coffee! Camp! Camp has lots of coffee!" Grover cut in, everyone's conflicting moods making him nervous. _

"_**Coffee?**__" Luke asked in disbelief. "You want to give her coffee? Are you crazy?"_

"_You __are__ aware of how much time we're wasting arguing about this right?" Andrea said, munching on a Bear Claw cookie. Everybody stopped, realizing Andrea's words were true._

"_Look, we'll get a car, and get going. If we see monsters, fight as a team. Got it?" Nic said, not awaiting an answer before leaving the room, quickly followed by Bridget and Andrea. _

_Miranda and Luke gave each other another scathing look before walking out into the parking lot. Grover sighed and shook his head before following. This was going to be a long trip._

_They decided to change cars again, since the Hummer they now had was, as Nic said, too conspicuous. The variety of cars wasn't extensive, but the choice was made when Andie saw a 1967 Chevy Impala. _

"_I don't think this is a step back to conspicuous." Grover said as Luke, once again attempted to hot wire the car._

"_MOVE!" Nic yelled, five minutes after Luke's second near-self-electrocution. Pushing him aside, Nic settled in the driver's seat, pulled on aviator goggles and a matching cap, then pulled the visor down. A set of keys fell onto Nic's lap._

"_Where'd you learn that?" Bridget asked, looking impressed. Nic thought for a minute, before answering._

"_Star Trek. I'm driving. NO arguments." _

_Bridget gave a grin and climbed into the front seat with Nic, an action she soon regretted when Andrea bolted into the front seat, trapping Bridget in the middle. Miranda and Luke climbed in the back. Grover sat between them, eyes flicking back and forth from the two sullen kids._

_Twenty minutes later, Nic had insisted on rolling down all the windows 'for effect'. Andrea was making random airplane noises, while Bridget looked uncomfortable. Miranda was staring out the window, humming some song to herself quietly. Grover was chewing nervously on an empty soda can, jumping at the slightest noise. _

_Luke stared ahead, determined to stay awake for the short remainder of the trip. But the few hours of sleep he'd managed in the last few days were doing little to prevent fatigue, and within minutes, he was asleep._

_Nic's blue eyes were narrowed in determination behind aviator goggles. Bridget was instructing her through the quickest routes, but night was falling fast. They were close, Bridget noted as the road changed from smooth pavement to a bumpier farm road. Only a few more miles, five at the most. She could only pray that the car would make it. _

_Grover reached over, giving Luke a smack one the shoulder, rousing him._

"_Wha-?" he mumbled his eyes still glassy._

"_We're almost there." Miranda said, playing with one of her various necklaces anxiously, her foot bouncing up and down. Andrea seemed to be full on trembling in anticipation. ADHD – the inability to sit still, both a blessing and a pain to a demigod. _

_Grover sat quietly, studying the three new half-bloods. Only one had been claimed, and not even properly. He had suspicions about the other two's parents, but nothing confirmed yet. _

_Suddenly, there was a bang, like a gun shot. A creaking filled the air. Nic swore and swerved the car sharply to the right, off the road, just dodging a telephone pole that was collapsing across the road. Nic swerved sharply back onto the road, pressing the gas pedal down hard._

"_Slow down! Slow down! Slow down!" Grover yelled, panicking at the increasing speed of the vehicle. _

"_I know what I'm doing." Nic replied in a too-calm-and-steady voice. _

"_Just don't kill us, okay?" Miranda replied, obviously trusting Nic. She looked out the windows, trying to see if whatever had knocked down the telephone pole was following them. Sure enough, a dark shadow appeared and disappeared, like a ghost. It was getting closer. _

"_Nic…" Miranda tried to warn. Too late. Something slammed into the side of the car. It swerved sharply again, but stayed on the road, thanks to Nic's driving. Andrea joined Miranda in her window watching. She caught a glimpse of some lumpy shadow, before she got a partially clear view of the monster. She blanched quickly, calling nervously to Nic._

"_Uh, Nic? Drive faster."_

_Nic glared irritably. "I'm GOING as fast as I can!" As if to prove a point, the engine growled loudly. Nic didn't understand where this camp was exactly, because all around them there was empty countryside, the farmhouses they'd seen were miles behind them. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a hill appeared, quite steep, with a large, lone pine tree on the top. It was still a good two hundred feet away, half of it uphill. The best they could do was drive the car up most of the hill, and then run for it the rest of the way._

_The monster, however, had different plans. With a low growl, the chimera ran headlong into the back bumper. The car jolted forward, and then spun out of control. Nic turned the wheel frantically, trying to gain control again, but the car veered once, twice, then slammed into a ditch. The few seconds of stillness seemed like hours. _

"_Owie…" Andrea said, massaging the top of her head, which had taken most of the beating. A small trickle of blood ran down from her nose._

"_Everyone okay?" Luke called hoarsely, and thankfully, everyone answered. The stillness was broken with a loud hiss, and the car began rocking. _

"_Grab something and run!" Nic ordered, throwing the car door open. The others were happy to oblige. All four doors swung open as the kids inside clumsily slinging bags over their shoulders. Now came the hard part – getting up the hill. Chancing a backwards look, Andie saw that a couple other hellhounds had joined the party, along with a few other monsters she couldn't identify, and honestly didn't want to._

"_Run." Nic said. Nobody ignored that order._

_It was almost comical, seeing six mostly-teenagers sprint full speed up a hill. Except for the being-chased-by-monsters-that-will-tear-you-apart factor. The tree at the top of the crest was drawing closer, and they were only about fifty feet away from what Miranda guessed was safety. She only noticed then, however, that only five of them were still running. _

_Luke, being the overconfident and reckless teenager he was, had stayed behind to try to fend off whatever monsters he could._

_It wasn't going too well. _

_Fighting two Hellhounds and a giant-scorpion-like-thing, superhuman abilities only got you so far. While dodging the scorpion tale, a Hellhound swiped at him, hitting his leg. There was a sickening crack, and Luke yelped, hitting the ground. The Hellhound growled menacingly, moving in for the kill. _

_Through a haze of pain, Luke saw it stop suddenly, and then disappear into thin air. No, not disappear, turn into dust. Then, something grabbed onto the back of his jacket collar, and proceeded to start dragging him up the hill._

"_Come. On. You. __IDIOT."__ a very pissed off female voice hissed in his ear. Luke looked over his shoulder to see Miranda half-pulling-half-sprinting up the hill. _

"_Just __go__." Luke growled, his leg screaming in pain at being dragged._

"_SHUT UP." Miranda replied, looking towards Nic for help._

_Nic stood a few feet away, a feeling of panic starting to take hold. Almost automatically, Nic's hand reached for the small, silver necklace that was given as a gift._

_Only, as Nic's fingers wrapped around the pendant, the metal began growing hot. The chain came loose, and one part wrapped around Nic's hand. The rest seemed to expand and grow, until it was nearly six feet long. _

_Nic blinked in minor confusion as the heart-shaped necklace turned into a flaming, deadly metal whip._

_Without hesitation, Nic's wrist snapped in a clean motion, obliterating the other Hellhound. Bridget, just realizing Luke and Miranda's distress, ran back to help them. _

_With Bridget's help, Miranda finally dragged a nearly unconscious Luke almost all to way to the somehow-special-tree, all the while Nic's newfound weapon beating back monsters._

"_Nic! Get over here!" Andrea yelled when nearly all of them were in the safety of the camp boundaries. The Hades child herself was throwing well-aimed Hellfire at any monster that got too close. _

_With a final, graceful spin, Nic took out the giant scorpion, and then sprinted to the top of the hill. _

_It was almost hard to believe they were safe. Adrenaline and fear was still running through them, but all of them dealt with it differently. Grover asked if anyone had any injuries, Bridget hastily fed Luke ambrosia squares, and both Nic and Andrea inspected the flaming whip._

_Miranda's reaction, however, seemed to be most entertaining. With a flame of fury in her eyes, she brushed the dirt off her jeans, fixed her shirt, and slapped Luke across the face._

"_OW." He yelled, nearly choking on the ambrosia. "What the Hades was that for?" _

"_**What is wrong with you?**__" Miranda yelled. "Do you have some freakish death wish?"_

"_Do you have a problem with me saving your life?" Luke bit back._

"_No, I have a problem with stupid, suicidal teenage boys who want to play hero all the time!" she screeched back._

"_Ummm…what's going on?"_

_Everyone started at the sound of the newcomer's voice. Andrea turned to see a small, preteen girl with waist-length blonde hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes staring at them curiously. _

"_Alex," Bridget said, relieved. "Where's Chiron? Did –."_

"_He's up at the Big House, waiting with Mr. D. He knows your back." Alex responded, still looking between Luke and Miranda curiously. Bridget nodded, and then turned back to her comrades._

"_Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."_

Four years ago. Still didn't seem that long ago, but still felt like a lifetime.

After breakfast, campers went about their daily schedules. Archery, monster assault techniques, sword fighting - just your average summer camp.

"You nervous?" Miranda questioned Andrea during their (flying) horseback riding lesson.

"About what?" Andrea asked, trying to fix her saddle.

"Well, it's your birthday tomorrow. Sixteen, with the whole prophecy and all."

"You know, you're really not helping with the whole 'calm my nerves stuff', and no, I'm not nervous." Andrea replied, not making much sense to Miranda.

Then again, it was Andrea.


End file.
